machines rather than one

Associated cost with excess stocks.

Defects are goods of

low quality.

Wasted material, time

and money

As product moves down

the supply chain, thecost associated with thedefect rises.

The Kaizen Technique

Masaaki Imai (leans founding father): Kaizen - a

means of continuing improvements in personal life,home life, social life, and working lifeWorkplace - managers and workers working togetherto make improvements with low capital investmentsKai - to modify or changeZen - to think about making good or better

Kaizen Strategies/Goals

Elimination of the seven wastes

Teamwork based:Train all employees (kaizen &problem solving)Communicate ideas up and down companyhierarchy; every one is encouraged to seek out andexploit new opportunitiesDefine clear leadership initiativesPrioritizing problemsCreate a culture where Perfection is perpetuallychased

Kaizen Implementation

Practices exist for the successful implementation of

Kaizen, which include:

Value Stream Mapping

The 5 WhysPDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act)5-S

Benefits of Kaizen Implementation

Makes the job:

EasierSaferLess unpleasantMore efficient

Saves money and time

Stimulates workersCreates an atmosphere of harmony and a strongsense of community, family, and belonging

Kaizen Blitz: An Alternate

ApproachDefinition: A business strategy which promotes rapidimplementation of plant improvement ideas.

Kaizen Blitz: Strategy

Kaizen Blitz: Benefits

Change is almost immediate

Relatively simple to plan and implementRequired resources are lowMany small improvements can be as, if not more,beneficial than larger scale changes.

5-S Implementation

Promotes visual management and a clean and safe

workplace that results in a high level of organizationand efficiency

The 5-Ss

Straighten - separating what is and is not needed

Sort - a place for everything, and everything in itsplaceShine - a clean workplace should be anestablished goalSustain - adherence to the first three Ss in the 5SprogramStandardize - continuous use of the first four Ssuntil they become second nature to employees

Shadow board for cutting dies

5-S Examples

Before

After

Just-In-Time (JIT)Technique

Products produced only as they are required

Establish flow processes so there is an even,balanced flow throughout the entire productionprocessBest suited to processes where the same product isproduced continuouslyGoal: Generate zero queues & Minimize lot sizes

JIT: Benefits

Reduced inventory levels (improved profits)

Balanced workload throughout the factory

Changes in product demand should not result inlarge fluctuations in production levelsEstablish a TAKT timeMinimize setup times to achieve single digit times(improved planning & redesigning processes)Lead times should be reduced through cellularmanufacturing, reducing queue times, etc.

Preventative Maintenance

Idle workers use their time more effectively and

maintain workstations to help in the prevention ofvarious problems that would halt productionAdvantages of flexible workers:- Quality inspections- Operation of several machines

JidokaDefinition: It is the ability for machines to be selfdependent and error proof without any humaninteraction.

3 Elements: Separate human from machine work Machines detect/prevent abnormalities Stop the Line authority in operation

Key Concepts of Lean

PokayokeKanbanCellular Manufacturing

Pokayoke Simple

machines and mechanisms rather

than complex, high-tech ones Fool proofs operations andreduces/eliminates mistakes in processes Devices are usually quite simple,inexpensive, and either inform the operatorthat a mistake is about to be made or preventthe mistake altogether

Pokayoke (contd) Pokayoke

helps minimize defects before they

reach the customer Important to realize Pokayoke is not asolution to the defect problem Investigation in the defect cause is essentialto elimination Ex. color-coding parts so they can not bemixed up

Kanban Card

system that helps control flow

Very effective in establishing JITmanufacturing goals Easily understood and requires a relativelysimple setup Card should be attached to a productcontainer and contain essential information(part #, quantities, etc.)

Kanban (contd) There

are two types of Kanban systems:

Production KanbanConveyance Kanban

Production

kanban signals the need for the

production of more parts Conveyance kanban signals the requireddelivery of parts to the next stage ofproduction

Kanban (contd) Environments

with a highly fluctuating

demand and wide variety of product are lesslikely to experience success Smaller kanbans at various sectors of a plantmay be helpful

Kanban (contd)Basic Rules of Kanban

Kanban signal only used when the representative product

is usedProducts are only issued/made when a kanban is receivedOnly quality components are usedThere is no overproductionManufacturing follows order in which kanban cards arereceivedThere should be a reduction of kanban cards over time

Cellular Manufacturing Work

cells are central to the idea of one

piece flow Ideally these work cells focus on a low rangeof similar products Product continually moves around the cell toeach operation until complete at the end ofthe U